In our media saturated culture there is no shortage of voices and personalities claiming our allegiance. Many false shepherds claim to have our interests at heart, but are in reality simply promoting their own agendas and lining their own pockets. The present themselves as benefactors, but turn out to be robbers. We are the worse off for having believed their claims annd succumbed to their influence. With so many voices clammering for our attention we need discernment to hear the voice of God, and to respond to his call. In the imagery of Jesus’ story we need to be alert to distinguish the shepherd from and sheep rustlers.

Who are these people among the sheep who have no right to be there? To find the answer we need to look to the incident that immediately precedes this story. There Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being “bling guides.” Their actions in expelling the previously blind man whose sight Jesus had restored provides an example that they are thieves and robbers who have come to destroy.

People in the village placed their sheep in the pen (enclosure) for the night, with watchmen taking in turns to look after the combined flock. When morning comes the shepherd calls to his sheep, separating them from the larger flock. The sheep are trained to respond to the familiar voice.

The watchmen posted at the gate are true prophets of Israel. They are spiritually attuned to recognize the true shepherds of the sheep. Watchmen are the gate openers: For St. Chrysostom the door represented Scripture for they bring us to God and open to us the knowledge of God.

With so many voices, the sheep in the sheep pen need to learn discernment. How has the shepherd gained access, by entering through the gate or climbing over the wall. If the person denies the witness of Scriptures and refuses to recognize Jesus as the true shepherd of the flock he is an imposter up to no good. In Jesus’ day there were religious legalists and ritualists and there were revolutionaries who claimed to be Messiahs. In Paul’s day there were so-called apostles who claimed special revelation; some proclaimed a gospel of good works, while others misinterpreted “grace” to mean that you can live just as you please. In our day, there is no shortage of religious leaders who cause confusion and create deception.

The Pharisees did not understand what Jesus was saying. They did not see themselves as false shepherds. Yet another example of their spiritual blindness.
Jesus identifies himself as the gate–which the Pharisees ignored and denied.
In his explanation Jesus shifts the scene from the village to the open fields. There the enclolsure consists of piled rocks covered with a layer of thorns.
There is no door, the shepherd himself lies in the opening to provide protection.
But more than that, he is the passage way, aware of our comings and goings.

Jesus is gathering his sheep together from the pen of official Judaism. The shepherd goes ahead of the sheep, not driving them from the rear. The sheep can see and hear him. We need a Shepherd to guide, provide for and protect us (Ps 23). Those who aspire to become inspiring leaders must first learn to become faithful followers.

More than that he accompanies us on our journey and in the activities of each day. He calls but we must follow, here we see the balance between divine sovereignty and human response in listening, learning and following. Discerning sheep learn not just to ignore the voice of others, but to run away from them, because if we come under their influence we will move in the wrong direction.

In follow false shepherds we distance ourselves from the true shepherd.
Whoever enters through me will be saved. “Through me” is emphatic in Greek.
He sets the direction and the pace and determines the destinationn. Jesus comes to provide fullness of life–not restrictive life, and not a frantic life.
Freedom to live their daily lives in his presence. Just as all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Jesus, so his fulness brings a supernatural dimension to our lives, or more accurately to make us truly human. Whereas fals shepherds take the life of others, Jesus lays down his own life (11).

The difference for us today is that Jesus is no longer with us in the flesh. As with the generations before Jesus, so we have to be cautious as to whom we follow among those who claim to truly represent Jesus. No human leader in the church gets it all right, so we should never folow blindly, nor demand blind allegiance from our followers. Jesus is the one true Shepher to whom every under shepherd is accountable. We all have to remain teachable and open to correction as Jesus reveals more of himself and of the comprehensive nature of the gospel of the reign of God. It is perilous to rest content with second-hand religion, as a faith-community we need to be search the scriptures together for guidance and correction.